Former President of Uruguay Supports Cuban Freedom and Reconstruction
By Cuban Democratic Directorate
Miami. Cuban Democratic Directorate. July 2, 2008. Luis Alberto Lacalle, who served as president of Uruguay from 1990 to 1995, visited the city of Miami this week, meeting with representatives of the Cuban exile community as well as holding a video conference with well-known peaceful opposition activist and former political prisoner Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez” in Havana. On Tuesday July 1, Lacalle unveiled a proposal for the Martí Plan for Cuba’s reconstruction after a transition to democracy on the Island. The Uruguyan delegation also included Deputy Jaime Mario Trobo, a national representative for the National Party, representing Montevideo in the Uruguayan Parliament.
The Martí Plan proposal consists of the establishment of a monetary fund to offer temporary economic aid to Cubans with the intention of its repayment as the country develops economically, as well as the creation of a skills training program conducted by young Cuban professionals from the diaspora. The program would share technology-based and other kinds of skills with Cubans on the Island. The announcement took place during a conference at the University of Miami’s Casa Bacardí, and was well-received by a crowded audience that included Cuban exile community representatives, Uruguayans living in Miami, and local and international media outlets.
The visit by former president Lacalle and Deputy Trobo comes shortly after a visit by Uruguay’s current president Tabaré Vázquez to Cuba, during which he refused to meet with leaders of Cuba’s democratic opposition. His refusal caused great concern both among the Cuban democratic resistance as well as among the Uruguayan people, who were the victims of a military dictatorship whose end was speeded by international solidarity with opposition actors. Lacalle, who has staunchly defended the Cuban people’s right to freedom, took the initiative to make this visit to the Cuban exile community in Miami as a way of redeeming Uruguay before the eyes of the long-suffering Cuban people.
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Cuban Democratic Directorate
